


wrapped in red

by bluelines



Category: Women's Hockey RPF
Genre: Christmas, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 10:55:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17160725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluelines/pseuds/bluelines
Summary: Kacey conveniently forgets how much Meghan hates pranks at the worst possible time.





	wrapped in red

Kacey is nervous. Nervous, actually, is an understatement; she had forced herself to eat so that Meghan wouldn’t suspect anything but now she feels like she’s going to be sick. They’re joked about it before, sure, but it’s not like they’ve had a serious conversation about getting married. She was afraid that would ruin the surprise. Now she’s wondering why she bothered with any kind of surprise. Sure, it’s romantic, but it won’t be when Meghan gives the ring back and tells her she’s serious but not _that_ serious.

Kacey wants to marry her so badly. It hits her again while she watches Meghan load the dishwasher.

“Hey,” Kacey says, “let’s each open one gift, before we head to my parents’ place.”

“Kace,” Meghan says, “c’mon.”

She turns around and leans against the counter, looking at Kacey like she’s a little kid asking to shake all her presents.

Just one,” Kacey says, “you can pick the one I get to open and I’ll pick the one you get to open. Okay?”

“Fine,” Meghan says, “c’mere.”

Kacey follows her into the living room. For some reason, her clearest thought in that moment is that the next time they leave that room, they’ll be engaged. Hopefully. Meghan looks so soft and beautiful in her wine-colored sweater, with her hair down and straightened. Kacey wants to kiss her, but Meghan would wonder.

Meghan sits cross-legged next to the tree and digs out a present for Kacey. Kacey reaches for the box. _The_ box.

“You first,” Meghan says, and Kacey exhales. They exchange boxes and Kacey can’t even focus, she can’t believe Meghan’s holding it. She rips through the wrapping paper of her own gift, and inside there’s a jewelry box. Kacey almost blacks out until she realizes that the box is, she thinks, too big to be a ring.

“Open it,” Meghan says, sounding unsure of herself. Kacey does, and if course it’s not a ring. It’s a necklace, and it’s understated and beautiful, silver. Kacey holds it up to the light and wonders again if she’s done something horribly stupid.

“Can you help me put it on?” Kacey asks. Meghan does, coming around behind her, shuffling on her knees to close the clasp. She pushes Kacey’s ponytail out of the way so she can lean down and kiss the back of Kacey’s neck, and Kacey is afraid she’s going to cry all of a sudden.

“Okay,” she says, handing the box over. Meghan maneuvers so they’re sitting across from each other again. She unwraps the box, then opens it. There’s another box inside. A flicker of confusion crosses her face, but she doesn’t hesitate, just opens that box, too. When there’s a third box inside it. Kacey seeks the first flicker of annoyance on Meghan’s face. Meghan doesn’t say anything, just opens that box.

There’s another inside it. Kacey is counting. Meghan looks up.

“Seriously?” she asks.

“Keep going,” Kacey urges. Her mouth is dry. Meghan opens the box to yet another box. The last box, Kacey knows; once Meghan opens this one, the ring will be inside.

But Meghan doesn’t open it.

“This is stupid,” she says, tossing the box at Kacey. It lands in her lap, and Kacey cradles it in her hands, all the blood leaving her face. 

She should just pretend it’s empty. Take it back. She should never have done this. She’d thought it would be funny, sweet, cute, something else, but Meghan’s just annoyed and now Kacey feels stupid and there’s boxes all over the floor and she wants to cry. Meghan knows her too well, well enough to see that she’s on the verge of tears.

“Jesus,” she says, “give me that.”

She snatches the box back out of Kacey’s hands, and Kacey swallows, trying to keep it together. She’s just going to be crying in a few seconds anyway, when Meghan gives her the box back again. Meghan opens the last one, and then she freezes.

Kacey opens her mouth to apologize, but nothing comes out. She can’t really see Meghan’s expression at first, but Meghan’s hands are shaking when she reaches into the final box for the little velvet one that the ring is inside. She holds it in her hands like a tiny bird or something that might flee at any second. Kacey feels like _she_ might need to flee any second, until Meghan looks up at her and Kacey can see that she looks like she might cry or laugh or both.

“Kacey,” Meghan says. “Oh my God.”

Kacey takes the box out of Meghan’s hands and opens it so that Meghan can see the ring.

“I love you,” she manages, even though it feels like her throat has closed up, “so much. More every day, somehow. You’re my best friend and...and I was wondering if you’d be my wife, too.”

Meghan blinks, first at the ring and then at Kacey. Then she throws herself half into Kacey’s lap, winding her arms around Kacey’s neck, and Kacey lets out all the air in her lungs as if Meghan’s punched her instead. 

“Yes,” Meghan says,”I love you, yes, but—“

She sits back on her heels and takes Kacey’s face in her hands. Her eyes are so, so blue. 

“I hate pranks,” she says, "I’m sorry I threw the box at you.”

“I know,” Kacey says, “it was stupid. I’m probably going to do that again. Um, be stupid.”

“Still yes,” Meghan says, and offers her hand. Kacey can feel herself start crying when she slips the ring on Meghan’s finger. Meghan takes Kacey’s face in her hands again, but this time she leans in for a kiss instead.

“One box next time,” Meghan says against her mouth, “maybe two.”


End file.
